Driver jailed after pursuit leads to crash, foot chase

Shawnee police arrested a man with a suspended driver license after a pursuit and foot chase ended in a local neighborhood.

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By Kim Morava

The Shawnee News-Star

By Kim Morava

Posted Oct. 5, 2013 at 8:00 AM

By Kim Morava

Posted Oct. 5, 2013 at 8:00 AM

Shawnee police arrested a man with a suspended driver license after a pursuit and foot chase ended in a local neighborhood.

Jeremy B. Boettler, 36, remained jailed in the Pottawatomie County Public Safety Center Friday on complaints of attempting to elude while endangering others, driving under the influence of alcohol, driving under suspension, failure to remain at the scene of an accident and possession of drug paraphernalia, along with outstanding county warrants, a police report shows.

He was being held on $10,000 bond; formal charges have not been filed.

A police reports shows Officer Cody Gibson, while on patrol, was westbound on Highland Street when he noticed an eastbound vehicle traveling 50 mph in a 35-mph zone.

The officer attempted to stop the vehicle by turning around, but once he activated his emergency lights, the driver, later identified Boettler, allegedly “rapidly accelerated,” the report shows.

The vehicle went northbound onto Draper Street and the driver briefly pulled over, Gibson reported, but as the officer completed his turnaround with emergency lights, his report shows Boettler “squealed” the tires of the vehicle and began traveling at a high rate of speed northbound, then turned eastbound on Ada Street.

Gibson activated his patrol car’s sirens but reported that Boettler still didn’t stop and continued driving westbound on Alice Street, where the vehicle departed the roadway to the right and struck a fence in the front yard of a home.

In that area, the driver and a passenger exited the car.

“I lost sight of the driver as he fled the scene, but detained the passenger of the vehicle,” the report shows.

The passenger told officers he was telling Boettler to stop the vehicle and even told police that “he was about to punch Boettler in the face in an attempt to get him to stop the vehicle,” the report shows. Police detained the passenger further because he had an outstanding city of Shawnee municipal warrant, the report reads.

Police began a search for Boettler, who was reported to be jumping over multiple fences in the 1100 block of East Margaret as he continued to run westbound.

Officer Austin Bizzell located Boettler as he was running through the Shawnee Bowl parking lot on Harrison Street and took him into custody.

Boettler told officers he didn’t stop because he thought he had warrants and confirmed his passenger tried to get him to pull over, according to the officer’s narrative of events.

Officer Bizzell noted Boettler had an door of alcohol beverage on his breath and person and appeared to have slurred speech.

It was discovered Boettler had two outstanding Pottawatomie County arrest warrants as well as a suspended Oklahoma driver license, the report shows.

Page 2 of 2 - Police noted the pursuit was in a residential area with narrow roadways that usually have pedestrian traffic.

Reports on the case will be turned over to the district attorney’s office for consideration of any charges being filed.